Over the taut canvas
her fingers dance,
spreading autumn hues.

She pauses
and steps back slowly
to search for balance.
Brushing her hair
from her cheek
she smears a line
of amber paint.

Squinting her golden eyes
and tilting her head
she returns to the canvas
with pencil in hand
and scribbles dark lines
criss-crossing the silvery dots.

They are her highways
leading away from
the flat Arkansas Delta
to the autumn hues
flaming on the New England hillsides
on a crisp fall day.

Leading far away from
her small town streets
to the silvery dots shining
on the Manhattan skyline